Russia,+Japan,+and+the+West


 * Russia**

1. What was the Decemberist uprising? What were its causes and effects?

a revolt of Western-oriented army officers in 1825 in Saint Petersburg, Russia; Russia's elite was still Westernizing, they didn't let intellectuals express radical or liberal political values; Nicholas I, the new tsar, was inspired by the revolt to continue to support conservatism ( to preserve or restore what is established and limit to change); this revolt was against Nicholas I taking the throne from Constantine after he removed himself: Russia wasn't affected mush by the revolt; overall Russia remained a dominant diplomatic and military force

2. What were the weaknesses of the Russian economy?

Russia's economy did not take part in Westernizing as far as industrialization went; they fell behind Europe in technology and trade; Russian landlords took advantage of Western markets for grain but didn't move forward in any new techniques. the labor of the serfs were increased; little machinery was imported into Russia, it was held for the Russian elites and aristocrats; some imitation factories were opened but it didn't show a major change in the East; Russia remained an agricultural society based on serf labor

3. What caused the Crimean War? what were its major efects?

Nicholas I provoked the Ottoman Empire in 1853, saying that Russia was responsible for protecting Christian interests in the Holy Land. France and Britain went to the sultan and didn't support Russia. Britain was worried about losing territory in India and France wanted diplomatic glory and thought of itself as the Western Champion of Christian rights. The war was fought on the Black Sea and the West won, pushing the Russians back. The West won because of their obvious advances in technology compared to the Russians. The war caused Russia and the new tsar, Alexander II to think that it was time for a change in Russia.

4. Why were serfs emancipated? how did their emancipation differ from the emancipation of slaves in the U.S.? What changes did it create?

The Crimean War got Alexander II into thinking it was time for a change in Russia. Serfdom was their biggest problem. If they could turn serfdom into a more mobile labor force, they would be able to industrialize. The serfs were emancipated in 1861 because slavery or serfdom didn't suit the economic needs of a society. This emancipation was different than that of the U.S. because it was more generous, allowing serfs to own much of the land they previously worked on and giving little to the aristocrats. The serfs didn't gain any new political rights and they were stuck in their villages until they could pay for the land they were given. The emancipation helped create a larger urban work force and didn't cause a revolution.The newly freed serfs weren't happy though, causing social unrest in Russia.

5 What were the Zemstvoes? How successful were they?

Local political councils created by the tsar; regulated roads, schools, and other regional policies; they were needed because nobles couldn't rule the peasantry anymore;they gave some middle class Russians new political experience; the councils had no influence on national policies; the tsar remained in power over everyone;

6. What was the significance of the Trans-Siberian railroad?

Russia began an extensive railroad system in the 1870s; railroad connected European Russia to the Pacific; railroad completed by the end of the 1880s; it directly stimulated the expansion of Russia's iron and coal regions of the market; it helped the economy rise by connecting Russia with more nations to trade with; helped with the export of grain to the West; by the 1880s Russia's railroad network had quintupled since the 1860s; modern factories started to pop up in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and some Polish cities; the urban class was also growing

7. What economic reforms were enaced by Sergei Witte?

minister of finance from 1892-1903; government enacted high tariffs to protect the new Russian industry; government improved the banking system and encouraged Western investors to build factories with greater technology; by 1900 half of the Russian industry was foreign with British, French, and German industrialists taking the lead; Russia soon was engulfed with debt due to industrial loans; Russia was fourth in the world for steel production and second in petroleum; Russia still remained a traditional peasant society; there was an absence of a large self confident middle class; more people were becoming business people and professionals; they lacked the numbers and tradition to challenge aristocratic power and values



8. What were the signs that Russia was headed to revolution? (think about - intelligentsia, anarchists, Marxists, Bolsheviks.)

intelligentsia radical intellectuals became active; business people and professionals began to seek a better political voice and new rights and supported liberal freedoms; student groups grew and were impatient with Russia's slow development and restrictions on political activity; anarchists wanted to abolish all formal government ; they looked for peasant support but the elites taught the peasants about political activism; anarchists resorted to violence with bombings and assassinations; in the 1890s Marxist doctrines spread to intelligentsia which led them to support organized revolution; Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) was the Marxist leader; Lenin's approach to revolution highlighted the group know as the Bolsheviks; his ideas were proved as ideal for Russian conditions; all of the forces that demanded change were not united and it caused difficulty in finding a compromise; this was a key factor that eventually led to a revolution in Russia

1. Explain major developments in Japan in the early 1800's.
 * Japan: Transformation without Revolution**

Shogunates weakened within the Japanese state because the feudal system was becoming too costly to the government. Taxes were based on agriculture when the commercial society started to expand. Neo-Confucianism gained popularity in the ruling elite and the upper class became more secular because of it. Reform on education caused schools and academics to expand. Tensions started to form between traditional Japanese people and reformist intellectuals. The basis of their ideas clashed with one another's. Commerce expanded as manufacturing and monopoly privileges popped up. During the mid 1800s, economic growth moved back toward the West.

2. What effect did the actions of Commodore Perry have on Japan? (include details on Samurai discontent)

Commodore Perry was United States native. He got the United States to become an increasing part of the West's core. The shogunate bureaucrats were not affected. Daimyos opposed new cessions. The shogunate depended on isolationist policies. Without them, the power of the shogunate would weaken. The 1860s held a samurai attack on foreigners. In 1866 it turned into a war. It ended in 1868 after the Mutsuhito reform group was formed. Japan's policies began to change.

3. List the actions taken by the Meiji State.


 * Shogunate was taken down by Meiji troops
 * Yataro established a railroad system and steam line contracts
 * wanted to compete with British
 * Former samurai formed political parties
 * Diet - rights are given to emperor with limited powers for the lower house
 * Meiji advisors worked with imperial rule
 * allowed them representation in the government

4. Explain how Japan Industrialized - (Private and government roles)

Government banks funded growing trade for capital industries. State built railroads were built throughout Japan. They connected islands to speed up production and efficiency. Guilds and road tariffs were abolished and it created national markets. There was an expansion in technical training and education with the set up of banks and post offices. These practices mimicked the West. The Japanese even had a western-style navy in formation. Japan became dependent on world trade and economic ties with other nations. Feudalism was abolished. Universal education was established.

5. List ways that Industrialization changed Japan.


 * The Japanese economy expanded
 * Japan became more open to foreign influence
 * Isolationism became a thing of the past
 * Education expanded
 * Population became more steady
 * Feudalism was abolished
 * Japan became dependent on world trade and economic ties
 * Technology became a leading factor in industrializing Japan

6. What division within Japanese society were created by modernization?

Modernization had some negative effects on Japan. It created poor living conditions in large, populated cities. There were often disputes between conservative thinking and modernized thinking. The parliament clashed with the emperor's minister on determining policy. The biggest division was in the ideas of the people. People who believed in traditional Japanese culture and society had problems with people who believed in modernization and industrialization. This division was noticeable in society.